As several European and eastern European countries — Hungary, Macedonia, Italy and Greece among them — struggle to deal with staggering numbers of refugees from conflict zones in the Middle East and Africa, European Union leaders decided Sunday that it’s time for an emergency summit on the subject.

The BBC brought details of the planned meeting that day:

The EU presidency said interior ministers from all 28 member states would hold an extraordinary meeting on 14 September, and the crisis had reached “unprecedented proportions”.

It follows a week that saw hundreds more people drown in the Mediterranean and 71 die in a lorry in Austria.

A record number of 107,500 migrants reached the EU’s borders last month.

The UN says the continuing conflict in Syria is a major factor behind the rise in numbers.

–Posted by Kasia Anderson

Your support is crucial…

With an uncertain future and a new administration casting doubt on press freedoms, the danger is clear: The truth is at risk.

Now is the time to give. Your tax-deductible support allows us to dig deeper, delivering fearless investigative reporting and analysis that exposes what’s really happening — without compromise.

Stand with our courageous journalists. Donate today to protect a free press, uphold democracy and unearth untold stories.

SUPPORT TRUTHDIG